Onward to Graduate School

McNair Scholars Complete Undergraduate Degrees

FIVE PSYCHOLOGISTS, a sociologist, a historian and a mathematician are
among the 10 Cal State Fullerton McNair Scholars who have completed
their undergraduate degrees and now are preparing for graduate school.

The McNair Scholars merit program honors Ronald E. McNair, the second
African-American to fly in space, who perished with his six crew mates
in the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle seconds after takeoff
Jan. 28, 1986. The program annually pairs 25 students from disadvantaged
backgrounds who have demonstrated strong academic potential with
faculty mentors to hone their research skills and guide their
participation in research projects throughout the year.

The Class of 2011 McNair Scholars, their cities of residence and majors,
are:

Jacquelin C. Bebawi

As a student activist on campus since 2008, Bebawi stresses the
importance of higher education.

“Our lives don’t revolve around just making money,” she said. “We need
to be a more humanistic society.”

A member of the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, Bebawi has been
working with mentor Steven Jobbitt, assistant professor of history,
staging rallies and demonstrations on campus. She’s also been studying
French student activism in 1968 and has presented research papers on the
topic at several conferences.

“I found many similarities with contemporary student activism in the
U.S.,” she said. “Students then and now call for us to value education,
not just for the pursuit of money, but for the love of learning, and its
role in creating a more understanding and empathetic society. That’s
why I want to be a history professor. History shows that we need each
other to survive, and I want to teach that.”

Bebawi will work as a teacher’s assistant at Northwestern University
starting this fall and hopes to pursue a master’s degree in history
there in 2012 and, eventually, a doctoral degree.

Jennifer Duncan-Coons

Duncan-Coons is graduating cum laude and will return to Cal
State Fullerton to pursue her master’s degree in psychology this fall.
She plans to continue her undergraduate research on juror bias and work
as a graduate assistant for Russell K.E. Espinoza, assistant professor
of psychology.

A member of the American and Western psychological associations and Psi
Chi, the National Psychological Honor Society, the long-time Girl Scout
has presented her research at various conferences, including the
American Psychological Association annual convention last year. She
presented a poster on “Effects of Attractiveness and Sexual Orientation
on Juror Decisions for Criminal Court Cases” with Espinoza at the
Western Psychological Association conference last March in Los Angeles.

Erin E. Crecelius

After graduating cum laude, Crecelius will return to campus in
the fall to pursue her master’s degree in psychology.

Her experience as a McNair Scholar was pivotal in her decision to pursue
graduate school and delve deeper into “the positive aspects of
psychology and development and how society and family dynamics aid or
impair constructive growth.”

Crecelius has been working as a research assistant to Emily Cheng,
lecturer in psychology, collecting data for a study on decisions made by
mothers of obese children in the Latino community. In addition, under
the direction of Julie Stokes, professor of psychology and chair of
Afro-ethnic studies, and Pamella H. Oliver, associate professor of child
and adolescent studies, Crecelius has been researching the character
and emotional traits that promote resiliency in children exposed to
violence.

Stephen Hager

Hager, president of Psi Chi, Fullerton’s chapter of the International
Psychological Honors Society, will graduate cum laude, then
begin preparation for doctoral study in clinical psychology with the aim
of conducting research and developing therapy for schizophrenics,
including “a postmedication treatment plan that utilizes
extra-biological means of rehabilitation,” he said.

As a McNair Scholar, Hager conducted research with Iris Blandón-Gitlin,
assistant professor of psychology. He plans to continue his study of
memory manipulation and the use of detailed photographs to produce false
memories.

“The more details in a photograph, the more likely a false memory will
occur,” he said. “This has ramifications, especially when used in
therapy.”

Joe Lam

Under the direction of Julie Stokes, professor of psychology and chair
of Afro-ethnic studies, Lam has conducted research on the factors
influencing Asian Americans to pursue higher education.

In the fall, Lam will pursue his master’s degree in educational
leadership at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Brea.

“I want to be counseling students in schools or for nonprofit
organizations,” said Lam, who has served as a volunteer or paid tutor
since he was 14. “It’s always been my passion to work with youth.”

Leslie Moreno

Moreno will graduate magna cum laude this month and return to
CSUF in the fall to pursue a master of social work degree and a career
as a social worker. Moreno has taken part in several research projects
and received a $1,000 CSUF research grant and a $1,000 National Society
of Collegiate Scholars Route 66 scholarship, among other awards.

A member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and Psi Chi
International Honor Society, she has conducted research with Allen W.
Gottfried, professor of psychology, on the landmark Fullerton
Longitudinal Study, focusing on academic achievement, parental
expectations, adaptive school functioning, classroom behavior,
postsecondary education and IQ.

She has worked as a research assistant on health issues and made
presentations at recent meetings of the Western Psychological
Association in Los Angeles, Society for the Research in Child
Development in Montreal and the American Psychological Association in
San Diego. Moreno also serves as a volunteer at Orangewood Children’s
Home and since 2004, as full-time caregiver of her ailing stepfather.

Kevin Park

A passion for math is what drives Park to pursue doctoral study at
Oregon State University and a future as a mathematics professor.

As a McNair Scholar, he conducted research with Angel R. Pineda,
assistant professor of mathematics, on medical imaging, attracted by the
opportunity to “have a significant and direct impact on a person’s
life.”

“My first research project included a noise analysis of accelerated
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and improvements in image quality in
support of proper diagnosis,” he said.

He has presented his research findings at a number of conferences and
meetings and last year won a National Science Foundation fellowship to
continue his studies.

Maria G. Ruelas

Ruelas, who is graduating cum laude, is an intern, assistant
counselor and cheer and drill coach in the Lennox School District in
Inglewood. She will begin USC’s master of social work program in the
fall.

The sociology major is the first in her family to pursue higher
education, and she wants to “become an advocate for student and family
services to enhance the quality of outreach programs and education.”

Her research has focused on first-generation Latina students and their
motivation to pursue advanced graduate degrees.

“I want to examine specific factors that guide Latina students through
the educational pipeline, and help create and develop programs that can
bring foster higher education to unmotivated students,” she said.

Casey W. Sanchez

Sanchez will graduate cum laude and follow up this fall with
doctoral studies in material science and engineering at UC San Diego,
where he received a four-year fellowship. The McNair Scholar envisions a
career “incorporating academia and industry that could include leading a
research team, teaching at a university and working in industry
designing and developing products for the future.”

At Cal State Fullerton, Sanchez worked closely with Michael Loverude,
professor of physics, investigating student understanding of
electromagnetism.

Sanchez reported initial results of his research in 2009 during a poster
session at the Association of Physics Teachers summer meeting in Ann
Arbor, Mich. This year, he and Loverude revised their survey instrument
by reversing the reasoning sequence to further probe student thinking.

Jose M. Zamora

The keynote speaker at this year’s CSUF Chicano/Latino & Native
American Graduation Celebration, Zamora will return to his alma mater in
the fall to pursue a master’s degree in American studies. The first in
his family to graduate from college, he hopes to eventually earn a
doctorate and become a professor and researcher.

He has presented papers on his research at various symposiums and
conferences, and credits his professors in Afro-ethnic studies and
Chicana and Chicano studies for introducing him to and getting him
excited about ethnic studies.

“Early on in my educational career, I recognized that historical,
institutional and structural factors created the circumstances fueling
societal disparities, such as poverty, low educational attainment, gang
involvement and disproportionately high incarceration rates among
marginalized populations,” he said. “I hope to draw theoretical
parallels between historical events and contemporary conditions for
gangs of the inner city, expressly those of the San Gabriel Valley.”

Zamora said he wants to teach to “acknowledge and affirm students’
voices, encourage their personal and academic development in tandem so
that they too may aspire to pursue higher education and keep the door
open for future generations.”

Pullquote

Early on in my educational career, I recognized that historical,
institutional and structural factors created the circumstances fueling
societal disparities, such as poverty, low educational attainment, gang
involvement and disproportionately high incarceration rates among
marginalized populations. I hope to draw theoretical
parallels between historical events and contemporary conditions for
gangs of the inner city, expressly those of the San Gabriel Valley.

Jose M. Zamora

Kudos From The Director

Gerald Bryant, director of the McNair Scholars program, said he is proud
of all 10 graduating McNair Scholars.

“Each individual has shown the capacity to do well in his or her future
graduate program,” he said. “The scholars are equipped with the
necessary skills to persist and earn their Ph.D.s. They realize they are
the architects of their budding academic careers and they must be
responsible for the quality of work they produce at the graduate level.”